Coming Home
by Aquamarine1212
Summary: A phone call from Leo beckons the youngest turtle to return home after six months of being on his own. But when Mikey returns, things aren't quite the way they were. His brothers have grown distant, but with a bit of persuasion the youngest may be able to pull them back together. (AU) (Three-shot.) Rated K-Plus for drama and angst.
1. Part 1 : The Call

**So I've been having a bad case of writer's block recently. In an attempt to try and get rid of it, I wrote up this oneshot. It's not one of my best works, but hopefully it'll help me get over this awful uninspiredness. And if the ending is bad it's because I'm half asleep right now.**

 **IMPORTANT: So, this is an alternate universe where Mikey did not run into the Punk Frogs and actually succeeded in running away from home. It sort of bothered me that they didn't address the issue later on.**

 **I do not own TMNT.**

It was a night not unlike any other. Mikey sat in the back of the stolen van (which after all these months he still felt bad about taking) and peeked out the window. The unwelcoming forest stared back at him. He had driven out the edge of the small town, where nobody was likely to find him. Sitting back with a contented sigh, Mikey silently congratulated himself on learning how to drive. That had been his main issue after leaving. But now with a car and the know-how, he could go anywhere.

 _Anywhere._

The thought sort of scared him in a way. Anywhere. He didn't have a purpose, a plan, he didn't know what to do. It had been six months since he had struck out on his own. _Now what?_ was the lingering question in his mind.

The freckled turtle decided not to worry about it. He wasn't usually one who worried about things like that, but tonight he was feeling somewhat lonely.

"Mrrow?" an orange and white cat jumped into his lap from the front of the car and rubbed her head against his chest.

"Heya Klunk," Mikey cooed, petting the cat affectionately. "You still care about me, don't you?" The cat responded with a loud purr. Poor little street cat had been almost starving when the teenager came across her, and Mikey couldn't help taking her in; it was what he did. Stroking her as she purred quietly, the turtle took in a deep breath of the musty leather smell of the car. That smell had become the smell of home.

"Mrrow," the cat suddenly meowed urgently, jumping off his lap and butting her head against the car door. "Mrrow!"

"What's your problem? You wanna go out?" Mikey asked dubiously. He didn't like letting her leave at night, especially near a forest like this.

"Mrrrraaaow," Klunk tilted her muzzle into the air and wailed.

"Fine, fine, you win," Michelangelo grumbled, putting on his best pouty face as he popped open the car door for her. Crazy cat. He had just settled into the sleeping bag on the van floor when there came a scritch-scratch from the door. He promptly groaned.

"I thought you wanted out!" he shouted, The noise came again. _Scritch-scratch._ "Ugh!" Mikey sat up and opened the car door, feeling slightly crabby at the fact he had been woken up again, but then he saw the small black bundle in her mouth.

"Klunk, did you kill something?!" Mikey screeched in horror. The cat just leaped up inside, padded over to the corner, and dropped the thing. She looked up with big green eyes and tilted her head. "Mrrow."

"Please tell me you didn't kill something," Mikey said, slightly panicked as he shut the car door. He hated to look at dead animals. It was disgusting and saddening all at once. The black bundle had a crimson puddle forming under it and the turtle wanted to puke. Klunk had actually killed something and brought it back-

Then the animal moved.

Four little legs jerked out and started to churn wildly at the air, a black tail thrashing back and forth and its eyes wide. It was a tiny black kitten, with mangy fur and crazed amber eyes. Klunk nudged it slightly, evoking a screech from the animal. Mikey flinched.

"Oh no, no no no no no," Mikey scooted towards the delicate little thing and _very very slowly_ tried to wedge his hand under it, but that only made it screech louder so he drew back again, whimpering. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't even tell where it was hurt, probably on its other side where he couldn't reach. The kitten's paws flowed through the air furiously, like it was trying to swim. Finally, gathering up every bit of guts he had in him, Mikey thrust his hands under it and flipped the creature over as fast as he could, trying not to tear up at the sound of it screaming in pain.

A huge gash ran from the shoulder to the tail, and it stank like a septic waste pit. Mikey could see the inflammation and pus coming out of the wound and he leaned to the side, gagging and holding back a mouthful of puke. It was disgusting.

"Ok little kitten," he said shakily. "Let's get you cleaned up." Grabbing a rag, wet from the afternoon rain, Mikey began to wipe off the pus. The kitten screeched and Mikey bit his lip to keep back a whimper. Mikey took the rag and swiped it across its fur again. The kitten screamed louder. Now the turtle was actually crying, tears coming down his cheeks.

"Please, I'm only trying to help…" he said in a choked-up voice. He continued trying to wipe it off, but the kitten's screaming was getting duller.

"No no no, please no, please no, please no," Mikey began to chant a series of denials as he cupped the kitten's head in his large hand. "You aren't dying, you won't die, don't die-"

The cat let out a last shudder and then stared out with empty eyes.

Mikey sobbed, pounding his fist against the wall. He bit his lip till it bled and relished the salty taste. Slowly, he huddled into the corner, curling his legs in towards his chest and stroking the dead kitten as silent tears came out. He shouldn't care this much, it was just a stupid cat that he had known for five minutes and it was probably too late for him anyways. But he did care. And it wasn't just the kitten, it was all the tears he had been holding back for the six months. He missed his brothers. He was stupid for leaving, so stupid. But they didn't even care, he had always been the weak link in the team. They always thought he was stupid, and now look, he had gone and proven them right.

In the moment of pure despair, a familiar ringtone suddenly echoed in the van.

. . . . .

Leo sat on his bed. It was late and him, Raph and Donnie had finished going on patrol, then headed straight for bed. The blue-masked ninja had stripped all his gear already and was reading for a good night's rest. Grabbing the T-phone off his nightstand, he plugged it into the wall. The screen lit up with the homescreen, still on the default background as Leo had never figured out how to change it. He was just about to put it down for the night-

And then Mikey popped up.

Leonardo's throat constricted like a snake had wrapped around it and squeezed it tight. There was his orange-masked brother, smiling goofily on the screen. Just below it was the number of his T-phone, and the big green button stating "CALL" in capital letters. Mikey had been gone for six months. All it had taken was one more day of them telling him to just grow up already (after trashing the cabin yet again) and then _poof_ , he had disappeared. Just like that.

Leonardo stared at the call button. They hadn't tried to call him in three months. What was the point anymore? Still...his finger itched to press the button, just to see. Maybe. _Maybe._

 _Well, what harm can it do?_

Leo pushed the button and held the phone up to his ear. Silently, he waited, as if in a meditation. The phone rang. Then it rang again. A third time. Leo hadn't been expecting him to answer, but a small part of him was still disappointed. Some little thought had hoped he might pick up.

There was a click.

Leonardo could only sit there for a moment, silent. The other end was silent as well. Leo stood up, his heart jumping. _Somebody had answered._

"...L-leo?" The shaky, staticy voice came through, but Leo recognized the voice on the other end.

"Oh my God," Leonardo pressed his hand against his other ear and leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. "Mikey?" He moved his hand from his ear, pressing the heel of his hand hard into his mouth. His head was spinning and his voice hitched. " _Mikey_?"

"Uh, hey," Mikey's voice came through, and then he sniffled. He was crying.

"Why now?" Leo demanded, choking back on tears. "Why pick up now?"

"Cuz'...I dunno," Mikey's tear-shaky voice came in like a bad radio reception. "A kitten just died." A kitten just died. _That's why he picked up._ Leo wanted to laugh and scream at the same time. His brother, who had been missing for six months straight, finally decided to talk to him because he was upset about a kitten dying. It was only a fitting answer for a person like Mikey.

"Why did you leave?" Leo asked, sitting down as his vision became dizzy and blurred.

"I thought you didn't want me…" Mikey's voice was small and it trailed off. "Please don't hate me forever." The sound of muffled sobbing came through and Leo's heart shattered.

"Hey, hey hey, sssh. It's ok," Leo said, pressing the phone against his ear. "Don't cry." _Way to be a hypocrite,_ Leo thought to himself, wiping off a tear of his own. "We would never hate you. _Never._ You're our brother, and we will always love you."

"Please don't hate me," Mikey sobbed on the other end, crackling noises interfering with his voice. "Don't hate me, don't hate me, don't hate me…" Leo rubbed at his eyes, then began hugging himself with his free arm and squeezing his eyes shut.

"I missed you a lot Mikey," Leo said in a croaky voice.

"Are you crying?" Mikey sounded horrified.

"No," Leonardo said stubbornly, then his shoulders melted down to a defeated position. "...maybe a little." There was silence on the other end. "Where are you?" Leo asked frantically. "Don't hang up, don't you dare."

"I-I...I'm in Maine," Mikey stuttered. "I didn't know what to do Leo, I thought you didn't want me anymore and I left, but now I don't want to be alone." Mikey snorted and his breath hitched.

"What on earth have you been doing?!" Leo asked.

"It's a pretty long story…" Mikey laughed half-heartedly. "And I found another cat." Leo let out a sharp laugh through his tears. For another moment there was silence.

"Will you take me back?" Mikey whimpered quietly. Take him back? _Take him back?_ Leo nearly burst out into a fit of laughter. He would have drove to Maine and _dragged_ Mikey back to New York City.

"Of course Mikey," Leonardo laugh-cried. "Of course you can come home."


	2. Part 2 : Welcome Home

**So, I had some vague ideas about extending this one-shot into a two-shot a while ago, but that never came about. At some point after finally finishing my other story, Far From Perfect, I ended up stumbling across this again, and then the gears started turning, and then this happened. Surprise!**

 **There will be a third chapter to wrap it up- don't worry, I would NOT end a story the way this chapter ends.**

 **Anyways, I won't be going back and describing Mikey running away (I tried that and it kind of ended up going nowhere) but this chapter and the next will be about him coming back. I hope you enjoy them.**

 **I don't own TMNT.**

Raphael couldn't decide if he should hit him or hug him. On one hand, Mikey had come back after six months of isolation, and it was only natural that he should be welcomed with warm hugs and fervent questions. But on the other hand, the little twit hadn't even left so much as a _note._ How could he just leave like that without even saying anything? Well, it turned out that he didn't have to decide, because the moment his youngest brother's gaze found him, a huge trademark-Mikey grin lit up his face.

"Raphie!" Mikey barrelled at him and wrapped his older brother in a tight hug. Raphael grunted at the impact and grinned a little lopsidedly before he returned the hug just as tightly. A small part of him still couldn't believe that his baby brother was home, and wrapped securely in his arms. Ever since Leonardo announced his phone call with Mikey, Raph had been nearly sick with anticipation of seeing his brother again.

"Have you gotten taller?" Raphael teased as Mikey bounced back and stood in front of him. "I think you mighta outgrown Leo."

"No way Mike," Leo objected, coming into the lair with Mikey's new cat friend, Klunk, in his arms. "There is no way that the baby brother outgrew the oldest." Mikey dashed over to Leo and carefully skimmed his hand over the top of his head, measuring himself against Leo. When his hand went over Leo's head, the youngest grinned.

"I'm _totally_ taller than you Leo!" Mikey crowed. Leo just pouted and glared at his younger brother while Raphael laughed. _Not much has changed after all,_ he thought warmly.

"So...uh...how'd the trip go?" Raphael asked cautiously after a moment. The laughter died down a bit and the mood took a heavier turn. Mikey's smile froze on his face.

"It was fine," Mikey replied, trying his best to appear nonchalant. "Klunk peed a little in the van, but that wasn't so bad. And uh, Leo helped a lot after I got into the city." Mikey turned to look at the aforementioned brother with a slightly sheepish expression. "It's been a while and I got a little lost."

"Yeah, you forget a few things when you've been gone for six months," Leo replied a bit stiffly, almost _accusingly._ Mikey withered a bit at his older brother's tone and didn't notice the angry look Raph threw over his shoulder at Leo.

"Well, I'm just glad you're back," Raphael proclaimed. "I'm sure you're hungry, let's go to the kitchen and grab something to eat." The red-banded turtle motioned for his two brothers to follow as he turned to the kitchen.

"Dude, when did Raph get _nice_?" Mikey leaned over and whispered to Leo as they trailed behind him.

"I guess since today," Leo said a bit tensely. Mikey bit his lip a little, wondering for a moment if he would dare to ask other, more sensitive questions. It took him too long to make up his mind however, because Raph was already pulling out pizza before he could say anything.

"Here, we've got some cold pizza - do you want hawaiian or three-meat?" Raphael asked, pulling out two boxes.

"Uh, three-meat," Mikey decided without much thought. "Hey, where's Donnie at anyways?"

"Probably still in his lab," Raphael rolled his eyes. "I'll go tell him you're here." Raphael tossed him the pizza box and drifted off to find Donnie. Mikey tried not to show it, but he was secretly hurt that Donatello hadn't been there to welcome him with Raphael. Apparently he still wasn't very good at masking his feelings, because Leo noticed it in an instant.

"Donnie was going to come out to greet you with Raph, but I think he fell asleep," Leo apologized. "He hasn't been able to rest very well the past few days."

"Oh," Mikey replied, poking at his slice of pizza with a fork. "Because of me, or…?"

"I think so," Leo shrugged. A few seconds later Raphael came back into the kitchen with a still-waking-up Donatello in tow.

"What? What'd I miss?" Donnie asked blearily, blinking rapidly at the sudden brightness of the kitchen lights. As his pupils adjusted to the light, the turtle's eyes focused on Mikey, who was sitting on one of the stools and had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"D!" Mikey shouted, jumping off his stool and running forward to plow into his older brother with a forceful hug. "Dude, I missed you like _crazy!_ "

"Oh, Mikey! Yeah, I missed you too," Donatello laughed stiffly, giving his younger brother a small pat on the head. His eyes darted around rapidly till they suddenly locked onto the pizza on the table. "I'm starving, let's eat." With that, Mikey disentangled himself from his hug and sat down at the counter with a little bounce, smiling broadly and shoving a piece of the pizza in his mouth with a small hmm of approval.

"Dude," Mikey said, turning to Leo and causing him to jump a bit at the adression. "Your pizza's gonna get cold if you don't eat it right away!" The freckled turtle burst into laughter at his own joke. "Get it? Cause it's already cold…?" His three brothers chimed in with high-strung chuckles, and Leo began to absently twiddle with his fork. The laughter didn't last long and it quickly petered into silence once again. Mikey glanced around at his older brothers, who all had their eyes cast down at the table.

"Good pizza, right?" Mikey chimed in a few minutes later. The three of them nodded their heads and let out a chorus of quick agreements. Mikey smiled at them, but as he moved take another bite, the smile faltered a bit.

"So...how's the weather been down here?" Mikey asked after another few minutes of silence.

"Good," Leo said, not meeting Michelangelo's eyes. Donatello and Raphael hummed in agreement.

"Oh, well, that's good," Mikey said, staring downwards and drawing little swirls in the sauce of the pizza with his fork. "There was this crazy storm up in Maine last month, and Klunk was pretty freaked out. There was like, hail and stuff."

"Mhmm," Raphael nodded his head a little.

"...So Donnie, how have you been?" Mikey questioned, clearing his throat a bit.

"It's going good," Donatello said, looking up quickly, as if caught off guard.

"Oh, uh, that's good," Mikey replied hesitantly, frowning a bit. Mikey chewed on his lip and glanced between all three of his brothers. "So...um...can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course!" Raphael replied far too quickly. "Anything." Mikey ducked his head a bit and picked at the crust of the half-eaten slice of pizza, frantically trying to find the best way to ask his rather sensitive question.

"I was just wondering if...well, if you'd…" Mikey cleared his throat, but his next words still came out as barely a squeak. "If you'd found sensei." To his utter surprise, none of them tensed up or got a sad look in their eyes. Instead, the three oldest brothers shared confused glances.

"Found him…?" Leonardo trailed off suddenly, his eyes widening. "Oh."

"Wait…" Donatello turned to look at Leonardo incredulously. "You didn't _tell_ him?" From the other side of the counter, Raphael was in utter shock as he gaped at Leonardo.

"You were gone before we came home...you don't know…" Leo said quietly, his eyes filled with guilt. "Mikey, sensei didn't die. He's here." Mikey's heart stopped. "I know I should have told you, it just slipped my mind-"

Just like that, Mikey was suddenly sprinting out of the room.

"What the-?" Raphael whipped around to stare as Mikey charged into the dojo, his breaths quick and shallow. His thoughts were in a frenzied flurry as he slid open the paper divider so quick and hard that it nearly tore. Just as he stepped into the dojo, a large and furry figure stepped out of the bedroom and into the dojo.

"What is it-?" Splinter demanded, thinking that one of his sons was coming to him with urgent news, but the second he saw the youngest, freckled turtle standing there in an old worn-out hoodie, he grew silent.

"Sensei-" Mikey choked out, meaning to say more, but he ended up saying nothing and instead rushing forwards to fling his arms around Splinter's shoulders and squeeze him as tight as he possibly could manage. Splinter wasn't hesitant to return the gesture as Mikey nestled his chin in the crook of his father's neck. The small, rodent arms wrapped around his frame were so familiar and so soothing. He never wanted to let go of his father again. It appeared that Splinter felt the same way, based on how tightly he was holding Mikey. At the doorway, the other three brothers were hesitantly lingering and watching the scene unfold.

Splinter was the first to let go, and it came with a hint of regret. The rat took a step back and gazed down into Mikey's baby blue eyes. They were so full of happiness, and so he found it odd that there wasn't a smile to go with them. That's when Splinter caught the beginnings of tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

"How did you…?" Mikey began, but his words quickly died on his lips and he just continued to stare at his father, as if he believed if he took his gaze away for a moment that Splinter would be gone. Splinter only shook his head, thinking of everything Mikey had missed.

"We have much to discuss," he said seriously, placing one paw on his son's shoulder. Mikey's eyes flitted downwards.

"Can we talk later…?" Mikey asked timidly, shuffling his feet. "It'll take a long time to explain everything, and uh, I'm kinda tired." Splinter was a little surprised at the request, but quickly forced a soothing smile on his face.

"Of course Michelangelo," Splinter said. "Perhaps tomorrow then."

"Thank you sensei," Mikey gave him a polite bow - the eyes of his brothers widened at that. Mikey always had good intentions, but never good manners. Seeing their baby brother treat _anybody_ with the politeness and courtesy he displayed now seemed so...not like him.

"Maybe things _have_ changed," Raphael muttered.

. . . . .

Mikey flopped down on his bed and let out an over-dramatic sigh. The mattress sprung satisfyingly under his back and he allowed himself a small smile. Meanwhile, Klunk was scoping out the entire room with an air of suspicion.

Mikey was happy to see that his room hadn't been touched. There were still old pizza boxes stashed under the bed, comic books strewn all over the floor, and that dorky cardboard cut-out of Chris Bradford in the corner (why he never got rid of that, even Mikey wasn't sure). Although, now that he took a closer look, his room needed some desperate cleaning. The smell of decaying pizza wasn't particularly pleasant. I mean, it was probably still edible. But he wasn't used to the smell anymore, and even if his iron stomach could digest it with ease...he probably should throw it. Yeah.

Mikey gathered up all the pizza boxes from on the floor and under the bed in his arms, then stuffed them into the large (and empty) trashcan he kept in his room. Funny, he couldn't remember ever using this, even though it had been there for years. It was a testament to his poor cleaning skills.

"Sorry pizza," Mikey sighed, a little bit regretfully. "I meant to eat you."

Mikey spent the next half hour throwing away things that he figured he didn't need. Huh, he couldn't remember ever cleaning his room either. Mikey felt a little bit of realization dawn on him.

No wonder his brothers had always hounded him about how gross his room was.

Mikey sat down on the bed and frowned worriedly. Raph had seemed happy enough to see him. Leo was...confusing. One minute he was laughing along with him, the next he was strangely silent and a bit bitter. Donatello - well, he had hardly talked at all, and his welcome hadn't been very promising. _He was probably just still tired,_ Mikey tried to reassure himself, but it didn't do much to loosen knot in his stomach. _Or maybe not..._

The moment he began to doubt his brothers, he scolded himself. _That's stupid,_ he thought with a huff. _You heard Leo on the phone. He was_ crying _because you finally picked up. He was frantic and desperate for you to come home. And Leo's a horrible liar. So calm down and stop seeing things that aren't there._

"Don't go lecturing _me_ about how to be a good brother!"

Mikey's head perked up at the decidedly gruff voice of Raphael outside the door. Curious, the orange-banded ninja crept to the door silently and pressed his ear against the crack.

"What did I do wrong?" This time it was Leo speaking, and Mikey frowned. His older brother usually had a calm and commandeering voice, but it sounded angry and upset and a little vulnerable now. That immediately set off Mikey's internal brother alarms.

"Like you don't know!"

"Are you still going on about that search-"

"Shell yeah I am! You _knew_ where he went, but you turned back!"

"Raph, it was horrible outside. I would have never made it back if I had stayed out any longer, the storm would have gotten me lost."

"I would have kept going-"

"Well maybe I don't _care_ what you would have done, because you're an idiot!"

Mikey's heart thudded rapidly in his ears. He knew exactly what they were talking about- the evening after he had left, a horrible storm had blown in. He had been following a highway north, hoping to hit a town soon so he could salvage some supplies from the trash bins - _just like a raccoon, dude! -_ but then the storm had come. He had hunkered down under the shelter of a pine tree till it passed - which admittedly, was not as cool as it sounded. Mostly just wet and uncomfortable. Also there was a lot of animal poop under the tree. Either that or pine cones, it was sorta hard to tell at the time. But from the way it sounded, Leo had been hot on his trail...and then had turned back. _What if he had kept going? Would he have found me? Would I have gone home..?_ Mikey was snapped out of his contemplation by the angry yells from outside the door starting up again.

"Shut up Leo! Admit it, if you had just kept going we could have had Mikey back in days instead of months!"

"You're one to talk! You were the one always yelling at him - you're probably the reason he ran off in the first place!"

There was a sudden silence on the other side of the door. Mikey's eyes were huge and he felt guilt clawing up inside him - if he hadn't been so stupid and ran off then they wouldn't be fighting like this. He didn't want to think about how many times this same fight had occurred while he was gone. He hadn't even considered that his absence could have such horrible consequences on his brothers relationships with each other.

"Take. That. Back," Raphael hissed dangerously from the other side of the door. "If it was anyone's fault, it was yours, _oh-high-and-mighty-Leonardo!"_

"There's no way you can pin the blame on me-"

"You were always ignoring him! Is it any coincidence that you two were hardly paired up together on missions? You always put him with me or Don! What's up with that, huh Leo?"

"Raph, you're being stupid."

"You know what, frickin' whatever. But if you wanna come and tell me that I need to be a better brother again, how bout' you save it for the mirror."

Both of them stormed off in opposite directions, leaving Mikey to sit by the door and wonder if it might have been better if he hadn't come back at all.


	3. Part 3 - Starting to Mend

**I do not own TMNT.**

Mikey knew that things had changed while he was gone. He was not so dull that he couldn't anticipate some sort of effect from his disappearance. But nothing brought his attention to the change as painfully as the morning routine.

His eyes still closed, Mikey breathed in the smell of the crisp air - the brick walls, combined with the room being underground, made it have a slight chill, which was only enhanced by the fall air leaking in through the grates. It also smelled a little musty from disuse. He rolled over and pulled the blanket back over his shoulders, trying to huddle into himself. For a moment he could almost pretend like it was any other morning and Leo would be here to yell at him that training was starting and he overslept. For a few minutes he just laid in bed and silently wondered if anyone would come to wake him up. Finally he dared to peek open his eyes and glance at the clock. It was already eight, so if Leo was going to drag him out of his room he would have done it an hour ago.

Something in him felt disappointed. Well, they were probably letting him sleep in since he had come home late last night. With a huge sigh, Mikey rolled out of bed, in the process disturbing Klunk, who had been curled up by his feet during the night. The orange tabby blinked open her eyes, looking around for the source of her unpleasant awakening.

"Good morning sweetie," Mikey cooed, scratching her under the chin. "Today's the big day! I've got so much to start catching up on." Klunk meowed in agreement and purred to express her pleasure with the attention. Mikey gave Klunk one more smooch on the head before he bounded out of his room.

"Good morning!" Mikey said cheerfully as he stepped into the kitchen. A quick glance around and Mikey could see that there were only two turtles present in the kitchen. Raphael sat at the counter, fiddling on his T-phone while he absentmindedly ate a bowl of cereal. Donatello was picking at a waffle that had long since gotten cold. Mikey's smile faltered a bit.

"Oh, hey," Raph said, looking up at Mikey. "Didn't think you'd be up for another hour or two. You usually sleep in till noon if we let you." He shut off his T-phone and set it down on the counter.

"Where's everyone else?" Mikey asked, leaning back to peer around out in the main area. The lair was eerily quiet and solemn - but he supposed it was still somewhat early.

"Sensei's still asleep. Leo's where he always is," Raph shrugged, taking in another mouthful of the cereal. "The dojo."

"Oh," Mikey said, the disappointment clear in his eyes. "So, uh, how are you Don?" Donnie just shrugged halfheartedly, poking at his waffle with a fork.

"Working on anything big?" Mikey tempted him. Donnie always liked to talk about his projects. Mikey was sure he wouldn't resist the opportunity to brag about his latest invention. Instead however, Donatello once again shrugged, leaving Mikey in utter shock. Donnie _didn't_ want to talk about his projects?

Still feeling uneasy, Mikey went over the the freezer and popped it open in search of some frozen waffles. In lieu of that, he found a somewhat displeased blob of a cat, who reached up her paws to block out the light suddenly streaming in. Mikey's face split open into a huge grin and he threw open his arms.

"Ice Cream Kitty!" he cried out. The cat appeared to be in shock for a moment, before she suddenly leapt out of the freezer and landed right on Mikey's chest with a splat. Her frantic meows filled the air as she climbed across his shoulders and on top of his head and groomed him incessantly. All the while Mikey was laughing and stroking her. Mikey finally pulled her off his head and held her in front of him, then leaned forward and nuzzled her.

"Mmmhm!" he said, squeezing her tightly. "Oh man, I missed you so much my precious baby!"

"Oh, she won't be happy when she finds out about her new competition," Raphael commented with a slight smirk. "I can't wait to see your two cats duking it out." Even Donnie couldn't help but smirk a little at the thought.

"No way! They'll get along perfectly," Mikey assured him, peeling the dairy cat off of him and placing her back in the freezer. "Sorry, but you're melting all over my shell." Ice Cream Kitty let out a mournful meow that tugged at Mikey's heartstrings.

"I'll turn down the heat tonight and we'll watch a movie," Mikey promised as he shut the freezer door. The cat didn't appear to understand his words as she gave a quiet farewell meow to Mikey. Mikey turned to Raph questioningly. "Why isn't there any food in the freezer?"

"Oh, it's over there in that mini-fridge," Raphael gestured to the appliance. "Donnie modified it to be colder. We had to because after you…" Raphael trailed off for a moment, averting his eyes. "...yeah. After that, she wouldn't let us touch anything in the freezer. Practically clawed our eyes out every time we opened it."

"Aw," Mikey looked back over at the freezer. "She missed me."

"Well what did you think?" Raphael said a bit stiffly, turning back to his cereal. "She's your cat. Of course she did."

As Mikey pulled down a box of cereal, he couldn't help feeling Raph was talking about more than the cat.

. . . . .

Mikey poked his head into the dojo, being as silent as his ninja training would allow him. Standing next to the tree, Leo was performing katas back and forth across the room. His movements were sharp and each point he hit with a slight snap. Sweat rolled down his neck as he swung his leg around, and he panted through his open mouth. Mikey observed with a keen eye. There was a certain glint in Leo's eyes that clued Mikey in to the bubbling anger he was trying to desperately to hide.

 _Anger._ Mikey contemplated for a moment on what the source of Leo's anger could be. Whatever the reason, temperamental was _so_ not Leo's style. Mikey lingered at the door, unsure if he would be welcomed into the dojo. Six months ago, he wouldn't have hesitated to intrude on Leo's training, but now he felt out of place.

Leo turned to face the opposite wall, performing an impressive mid-air kick, followed quickly by two punches at his imaginary opponent's face. He stopped, every muscle in his body tense, before he unsheathed his katana and performed a complicated set of whirls and swings with them. Mikey couldn't stop the quiet intake of air at the impressive move.

"You can come in if you want," Leo said, just loud enough for Mikey to hear. Mikey jumped a little, sheepish at being discovered.

"Hey Leo," Mikey said, trying to brush away his embarrassment. "Has my stealth mode gotten a little rusty?" The orange-banded turtle tried to come in as casually as he could.

"Maybe," Leo said, not looking at Mikey. "Or maybe I've gotten a little better. Who can say for sure?" Mikey just shrugged, then sat down next to the tree and played his his hands. Leo's eyes narrowed and he performed a kata - one of the more complicated ones that Mikey knew - with fast, practiced movements. Mikey shifted and cupped his cheek in one hand.

"Did you practice at all?" Leo asked, snapping Mikey out of his thoughts. "After you left, I mean."

"Um...I had to hide sometimes...and I fought this one guy…" Mikey scrambled for an answer that wouldn't disappoint Leo. "I did some katas this one time. And I did a lot of rooftop parkour."

"Ah. I see," Leo replied, obviously trying to mask his disappointment. Mikey squirmed uncomfortably. He didn't want to talk about when he had run off. He wanted to forget that and move on. Mikey watched Leo perform another set of swings with his katana, and then quietly cleared his throat.

"Um...is there something going on between you guys?" Mikey asked, his voice squeaking a little. "I mean, you and Raph are kinda avoiding each other and Don's hardly been talking at all-"

"There is _nothing_ wrong Mikey," Leo cut in, his eyes snapping over to his brother and glaring. Mikey swallowed nervously and quickly dropped his gaze.

"I just...do you guys think…" Mikey trailed off, seeing that Leo had stopped listening and was entirely focused on his katas.

"Raph has always been temperamental. You know that we get into fights sometimes. There's nothing unusual about that," Leo snapped tensely, his next move a little sloppier. "And Donnie's just busy. He has a lot of work on his plate right now." Mikey saw right through Leo's excuses and read the meaning behind them. There were a lot of things wrong. Without much forethought, Mikey decided to just dive in headfirst in and confront the issue.

"I heard you and Raph arguing last night about me," Mikey said. Leo tensed.

"We weren't arguing!" Leo protested, his voice raised. "And it's none of your business anyways! We're all glad you're back and last night we just-" Leo paused for a moment, struggling for words. "-Raph just lost his cool for a bit. Things are fine!"

"Leo, you and Raph shouldn't fight, because this whole mess was my own fault," Mikey's voice shook a little. "And I just want things back to normal."

"Would you just stop?" Leo exclaimed angrily. "You can't fix anything by saying it was your fault!"

"So you admit that something's wrong?" Mikey quickly quipped back. Leo grunted in frustration and clenched his fists.

"You ran away Mikey, so obviously things have always been wrong!" Leo snapped. Mikey flinched a bit at his harsh words. "And I'm sorry that we aren't good enough for you!"

"Wait, what?" Mikey's voice was genuinely hurt and the shock in his eyes was clear.

"That's not what I…" Leo paused, the frustration clear in every line on his face. "What I mean it that I should have kept looking that night. I wasn't good enough." Mikey's faced melted into an expression of compassion.

"Leo, Raph didn't mean that-" Mikey began, but Leo suddenly whipped around and with a snarl he launched his weapon straight into the paper divider separating the dojo from the living space. There was a rip as the weapon went straight through the paper and in the other room clattered onto the ground. Mikey flinched and his eyes widened.

"Even an idiot like Raph could see that I screwed up!" Leo spat. "So stop pretending it's your fault! Everyone knows it's mine!"

Mikey had _never_ seen Leo like this. Leo was the cool and confident leader. How had so much changed in six months? How had his family become so...broken? Mikey was lost for words.

"Leo…" Anything Mikey was intending to say was quickly forgotten when he spotted the tears streaking his brother's cheeks.

"I let this happen Mikey," Leo choked out. "I let the team down. I let you down."

Mikey stared at him a moment longer, then raced forwards and threw his arms around Leo's waist. Leo tensed up in apprehension, but within moments had given in and let himself fall into the embrace. Mikey said nothing when Leo started to shake with the force of his own sobs. It seemed backwards that the youngest was comforting the oldest, but everything in their lives had become a little backwards.

When Mikey had left he had thought his family didn't want him. Now he saw the way that his departure had torn them apart. Like Raphael had implied earlier, they had missed him because he was family, and family should stay together. Mikey wished that he had seen that sooner. There were a lot of things that all of them wished had been different.

"Raph and I just...we argued so much after you left," Leo confessed, pulling away from Mikey a bit. "And then Don didn't want anything to do with it, so he started hiding in his lab all day, and me and Raph were constantly blaming each other...but I think we were really blaming ourselves."

"I'm sorry," Mikey said in a cracked tone. "I promise I'll help you and Raph make up. I don't know how, but I will."

"Well, you could start by noticing I'm standing right here."

Mikey and Leo both whipped their heads up in surprise to see Raphael leaning casually in the doorframe, Donatello poking his head around from behind him. Raphael smirked a little at their shocked expressions.

"What? When did you-?" Leo sputtered out, and Raph held up a hand to stop him.

"You really think I'm gonna ignore a sword flying through the living room?" Raphael pointed out. "That's a little weird, even in this house."

"Raph…" Leo stared at him for a moment. "Did you hear…?"

"Enough," Raphael said, crossing his arms. "I also saw you bawl like a baby and I have to say that it's nice to see your aren't an emotionless brick wall like you've been trying so hard to imitate these past months." Leo's jaw clenched and his face flushed in embarrassment.

"Hey Leo...we haven't talked in a while," Donnie said in a small voice, giving Leo a little wave. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten me." There was a slight hint of bitterness in his tone, and Leo's expression turned guilty. That was another wound he'd have to mend besides the one that ripped him and Raphael apart.

"Good morning boys."

Everyone's head turned at once to see Splinter coming out of his room. The older rat's eyes flitted between the four of them with a bit of twinkle to them. "I see that everyone is becoming...reacquainted." The four brothers shared glances at his words. Splinter's mouth curved upwards in the very slightest smile. He turned to Mikey.

"I believe now would be a good time for the discussion we postponed, would you agree?" he asked. Mikey gave his father a small bow.

"Yes Sensei," Mikey said, sending encouraging smiles at all of his brothers. "I think that now would be a good time for us all to have a discussion."

 _~The End~_

. . . . .

 **So I thought about adding a fourth chapter, but decided that I would end it here simply because I would like to move on to my other projects and I thought this brought enough closure to satisfy the conflict. Also I finished this when I was half asleep and so I hope it's not too terrible. Anyways, I hope I didn't rush things too much in this chapter. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.  
**


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